Chapter 1: The Older Population in the United States

Question 1

Describe baby boomers

Answer 1

• born between 1946 and 1964
• more highly educated, healthier, have a high % of women in labour force, hold professional jobs, more diverse than prior cohorts
• “senior boom”

Question 2

Define demographics

Answer 2

study of populations and their characteristics in a society

Question 3

Define trends

Answer 3

changes that occur in populations

Question 4

Define population aging

Answer 4

the aging of an entire population
i.e., declines in birth rates AND death rates

Question 5

T or F: population aging does not differ from the individual aging process

Answer 5

false

Question 6

What is the main reason for older populations?

Answer 6

increased life expectancy

Question 7

Why does the US lag behind in life expectancy?

Answer 7

• poor prenatal and early childhood services
• unhealthy foods and lifestyle
• increasing rates of poverty, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cigarette smoking
• income inequality

Question 8

Why has life expectancy increased?

Answer 8

• eradication of diseases that cause infant/childhood mortality
• improved sanitation, antibiotics, medical advances

Question 9

Because people live older today, what are they more likely to live with?

Answer 9

chronic diseases

Question 10

T or F: females live longer than men

Answer 10

true

Question 11

Why do females live longer than males?

Answer 11

• biological factors (X chromosomes)
• lifestyle factors (increased preventative health behaviour and decreased risky behaviour)

Question 12

____ who survive beyond age 85 have fewer chronic illnesses or disabilities

Answer 12

men

Question 13

Why do elders of colour have lower life expectancy?

Answer 13

health care disparities
- unequal access earlier in life
- inequities as children and young adults in poverty, education, and health care

Question 14

Define crossover effect

Answer 14

elders of colour who survive beyond age 75 have longer life expectancies after age 75 than their white counterparts

Question 15

____ women live the longest

Answer 15

Asian American

Question 16

Define maximum lifespan

Answer 16

the biologically programmed maximum number of years that each species can expect to live

Question 17

What is the maximum lifespan for humans?

Answer 17

120 years

Question 18

What is the ideal survival curve or compression of morbidity?

Answer 18

where almost all people would survive to maximum lifespan because chronic disease would be eliminated or managed

Question 19

What is the “pig in the python” phenomenon?

Answer 19

when bulge of population pyramid moves higher up as older population surpasses younger

Question 20

Define dependency ratio

Answer 20

the number of people age 65 and older to every 100 people of traditional working age (18-64)

Question 21

Define support ratio

Answer 21

the relationships between the proportion that is employed (productive) vs not in the workforce (dependent)

Question 22

T or F: older population is the greatest dependent population

Answer 22

false, those under age 16 are

Question 23

Define young-old

Answer 23

age 65-74

Question 24

Define old-old

Answer 24

age 75-84

Question 25

Define oldest-old

Answer 25

age 85+

Question 26

Which old cohort is growing most rapidly? (i.e., young-old, old-old, oldest-old)

Answer 26

oldest-old

Question 27

Define "silver tsunami"

Answer 27

the fact that the growth of the oldest-old has profound consequences for families, health, workforce, politics, housing, etc.

Question 28

There are more ____ than ____ living to oldest-old

Answer 28

women, men

Question 29

Who are the oldest old?

Answer 29

- women - widowed women - married men - foreign born - less education - lower income (poverty) - in hospitals and long-term care

Question 30

The majority of oldest-old rate their health as _____

Answer 30

good or excellent

Question 31

Define centenarian

Answer 31

those who live to age 100 and older

Question 32

Most centenarians are...

Answer 32

- healthy, mentally alert, free of major disability, able to perform ADLs - generally do not suffer from chronic illnesses associated with age - free from genetic mutations associated with Alzheimer's

Question 33

Define super-centenarian

Answer 33

those who live to age 110 and older

Question 34

Centenarians and super-centenarians have...

Answer 34

fewer chronic illnesses and physical disabilities

Question 35

Only about ___ of aging is heritable

Answer 35

1/3

Question 36

Define hardiness

Answer 36

how well an individual copes with disease and stressors (affected by genetics AND past experiences)

Question 37

Which cohort represents the hardiest segment of their birth cohort?

Answer 37

men who survive to age 90

Question 38

List behavioural and personality traits central to longevity

Answer 38

- not smoking - optimism - humour - adaptability - willingness to try new things - being extroverted and easygoing - staying lean

Question 39

The population of age 65 and older is more _____ than any other age group

Answer 39

heterogeneous

Question 40

The proportion of older persons is predicted to increase at a higher rate for the _____ population than for _____

Answer 40

non-white, non-hispanic white

Question 41

Which population is defined by "the most invisible of an already invisible minority"?

Answer 41

LGBT elders

Question 42

Why might the aging experience be more difficult for LGBT elders?

Answer 42

- stigma may result in increased social isolation and mental distress - disparities in accessing health care

Question 43

T or F: older adults are evenly distributed

Answer 43

false

Question 44

Future generations will be _____ educated than their grandparents

Answer 44

better

Question 45

Define compression of morbidity

Answer 45

long periods of healthy, active, high-quality existence, and short periods of illness and dependency in the last few years of life

Question 46

How does compression of morbidity minimize premature death?

Answer 46

disease and functional decline are compressed into a brief period of 3-5 years before death

Question 47

More people will achieve _____ in the future due to healthier lifestyles and better health care during youth

Answer 47

maximum lifespan

Question 48

T or F: compression of morbidity has not continued

Answer 48

True

Question 49

Elders of the future will experience _____ dependent life expectancy and _____ active life expectancy

Answer 49

longer, shorter